But one pitcher stands out enough to not only make the Not-Top Twenties on an exception, but to be the official Get Up, Baby! Longshot Prospect of 2007. Our patron saint, if you will, since I’ve heard exactly one sentence about his abilities from someone who’s seen him play. And that player is Wladimir Mendoza. His numbers–which admittedly need to be taken with a huge grain of salt–speak volumes:
IP H BB K HR K/9 BB/9 K:BB ERA
75.2 50 47 89 2 10.59 5.59 1.89 2.26
That appears to be the work of a live arm. But ten of his runs allowed came in two miserable outings. Let’s take those out, and see what we have left.
IP H BB K HR K/9 BB/9 K:BB ERA
66.0 38 36 82 2 11.18 4.91 2.28 1.23
So he was old for his league–20–and his control was still pretty bad, but when his command wasn’t totally off he was off-the-charts dominant. According to an interview of Jeff Luhnow, VP of player development, that Scout.com conducted a while back, he’s got a fastball that sits in the low-90s and “the makings of a good breaking pitch.” In the Liga Paralela, a Venezuelan winter league, he allowed one earned run and struck out nineteen in fifteen innings pitched. We probably won’t hear from him again until short season leagues open up in June, but when that happens he’ll get the first sidebar spot since I tracked Rick Ankiel’s first season as an outfielder. Let’s hope this goes a little better.
It is the season to get worked up about kids you will probably never see in a big league uniform. What else is there to do until pitchers and catchers report?
Speaking of propects, if you haven't checked out Future Redbirds yet, do so. It is one stop shopping for the Cards farm system. Can't live without weekly Rick Ankiel updates? Future Redbirds is the place for you.
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